Paul Ryan tweet misstates capital of Turkey
House Speaker Paul Ryan appeared to forget the capital of Turkey in a Tuesday evening tweet -- incorrectly calling on Istanbul to take responsibility for an attack on protesters at the Turkish embassy last month, rather than Ankara.
The Wisconsin Republican's error showed up in a warning statement to Turkey Tuesday issued after the House voted unanimously to condemn the violent attack against protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence a few weeks ago.
"The blame for assault lies with the Turkish government alone," Ryan wrote. "I urge Instanbul to finally accept responsibility for this egregious incident and apologize."
But the capital of Turkey is Ankara, where the parliament and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's presidential palace, are located.
Ryan's communications director, Michael Ricci, told CBS News that he was responsible for the error. He said it was an "honest mistake," and he regretted the mix-up. Ricci posted a corrected Tweet Wednesday afternoon. Ryan's web site currently features the amended statement, which now reads "Ankara" in place of Istanbul. That statement was updated Tuesday evening following the vote.
When Erdogan visited Washington in May, Turkish security personnel including his bodyguards attacked peaceful protesters outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence. Eleven people were injured, including one police officer. Erdogan observed the attack from his car, which was parked by the residence.
The State Department said two members of the Turkish security detail were briefly detained during the altercations.
